One Night
by sej1986
Summary: Jack&Chloe multi part fic. Chloe leaves something behind at CTU, Jack takes it to her. A long night ensues. T to be on the safe side! NOW COMPLETE
1. Prologue

_**One Night- Prologue**_

The elevator doors slammed shut. Chloe leaned back and waited for the lift to take her down into the parking lot, her head spinning from the day's events. She wanted nothing more than to go home and have a nice, hot bath and watch mindless rubbish on the TV.

Her bag bounced heavily against her side as she strode across the parking lot towards her car, reassuring her that she hadn't left anything behind in her haste to leave the building.

She looked at her watch as she unlocked the vehicle. Seven thirty five. It would take fifteen, maybe twenty minutes to get home. Of course, if she'd left on time then she would have beaten the rush hour traffic. As it was, she'd been holed up in tech one most of the afternoon, with only the server and the phone for company.

The phone, she mused, backing out of her space, had rung only once during her stay in tech one. It had been Jack, sounding rather odd, asking if she had seen Milo. She had replied no, that the last time she had seen him had been at lunch when he had yelled at her for not bringing the hourlies to him to check before taking them up to Buchanan. Jack had paused before thanking her, and even then he hadn't hung up straight away. There had been a decided delay between "thanks" and "bye", during which time Chloe had forgotten the server and started chewing her nails, a habit she had picked up during her years of working at CTU.

He was probably distracted by someone walking into his office, her analytical brain reasoned, as she debated whether or not to put her foot down and overtake the blue Ford that seemed intent on driving below the speed limit. Maybe Bill came in, or he was reading something on the computer that caught his attention… the Ford came off at the next exit, and Chloe relaxed her foot on the gas pedal.

The sky overhead had an ominous look to it. It had been threatening rain all week and had yet to come to anything. The air was heavy and smelled of electric; the clouds loitered with intent, grey and full to bursting, as though waiting for the right time to empty their load. Chloe wished they would hurry up. Her head had been hurting all day, she was sure it was down to the air pressure. Either that or she really was spending too much time in front of a computer.

Pulling up outside her house ten minutes later, she heard a rumble of thunder. Grabbing her bag and locking the car, she quickly ran to the door, hearing the familiar jangle of keys. Once inside, she locked the door and stood with her eyes closed, breathing in the calm. She was home. Now all she had to do was take a bath, maybe look over those files she had been meaning to sort out for weeks now.

Dropping onto the hall chair, Chloe emptied the contents of the bag onto her lap, frowning as the item she sought failed to materialise. One by one things fell out; tissues, spare key, mirror, cell phone, pens, empty sweet wrappers, several discs… she shook the bag as it deposited the last of its treasure, a disbelieving frown etched into her features.

It took a while before she remembered. She had left it on her desk.


	2. Chapter 1

_**One Night- Chapter 1**_

Jack knocked on the door of Bill's office, entering after he got no response. The director was elbow deep in files of paper, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he frowned over whatever information he was reading. He looked up as the office door opened, a tired smile on his lips.

"Jack, just going through some old reports for Division." He indicated to the mess that was piling up either side of his desk, spilling onto the floor and collecting at his feet. "Some of this dates back years."

"Do you need some help?" Jack had been planning on leaving early, but the sight of Bill Buchanan practically swimming in paper tugged at his conscience.

Bill caught on immediately. "No. I will not let you feel bad for me." He laughed. "God knows I should have done this a while ago, but… with one thing and another…" he cast a knowing look towards Jack. "This wasn't exactly top priority."

"I can imagine."

"So, you go, I'll be fine. I'm leaving soon anyway…. Karen's home from DC for the week."

Bill's smile was contagious. "That's great," Jack told him, watching as Bill closed another file and dropped it unceremoniously to the floor.

"Anything planned tonight?" Bill asked conversationally, his eyes not leaving the newly opened file now perched on his desk.

Jack sighed, feeling the usual melancholy overwhelm him as it always did at the end of the day, the prospect of going 'home' only serving to remind him just how lonely he really was. "No, nothing really," he replied finally.

"Well, then I guess you could stay and help me with these files."

"Sure, I'll just-"

Bill held up a hand. "Go home! I was kidding!" He smiled at the tired look on Jack's face. "See you tomorrow."

Somewhat reluctantly, Jack stepped out of Bill's office and closed the door quietly behind him, leaving the older man to his paperwork. After double checking that he'd locked his own office, Jack took the stairs two at a time down to the main floor, nodding at a harassed looking Milo as he went. He noted absently that the comm. station was unmanned, Chloe's chair tucked neatly under her desk, computer monitor off, the desk spotless-

Or not, he realised, taking a step closer.

Lying just under the keyboard, almost out of sight, was a plain black flash drive. Jack knew instantly that it wasn't supposed to be there; it looked out of place from the neatly aligned stationery littering Chloe's desk.

Curious, Jack picked the drive up and studied it. There was nothing special or out of the ordinary about it, but something nagged at him, told him it was important. Without a second thought, he pocketed the item and continued on his way to the parking lot.

…

Chloe had flicked on the TV and was pottering around the lounge aimlessly. She had tried sitting down to watch the news but her mind kept wandering back to the flash drive. She couldn't believe she had been so stupid as to leave it on her desk. She knew it was there because she had been about to decrypt some of the files on it when Milo had screamed at her about the hourlies. She'd eaten lunch and spent the afternoon working on the server, the drive completely forgotten.

Her nails were bitten to the quick. She'd thought about going back to CTU to pick it up but knew the chances of it being there were very slim. Black flash drives were standard in CTU, anyone could have picked it up, thinking it was theirs…

"Dammit!"

Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing her mood. It was getting closer, she realised, watching numbly as the TV flickered several times before righting itself.

The sound of someone knocking at the door registered in Chloe's brain. Confused, she looked at her watch. Eight. She wasn't expecting anyone, and she certainly wasn't in the mood for door to door salesmen.

"Yeah, I'm coming," she muttered as the knocking became more insistent.

As she swung the door open, a flash of lightning illuminated the exhausted looking man standing on her front porch.

"Jack?" She shielded her eyes as though they had deceived her. She had no idea he knew where she lived.

"Hi, Chloe." He stared at her, unsure. He struggled for the words to explain himself. "I… um… you left this at CTU."

Jack reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved the flash drive. The relief on Chloe's face as she took it from him told Jack he had been right to come here, which calmed him somewhat.

"I could have picked this up tomorrow," she lied, "but thankyou," she added, noting the brief look of unease pass across his face.

A few minutes of silence passed. Chloe felt extremely awkward. Jack looked terrible, but she couldn't invite him in. She didn't know how to without it sounding inappropriate.

"So… I should go." Jack recovered himself and offered her a half-smile, which she returned.

"Thanks, Jack."

He nodded. Turning his collar up against the rain that was now starting to fall, he jogged across the darkened road and over to his car. Sighing, Chloe closed the door and walked back into the lounge, the flash drive now gripped in her hand. Of all the people to bring it back to her, she thought ironically.

The rain pelted against the window, causing the television to give up for good. Chloe headed into the study and booted up the laptop, grateful that she'd recharged the batteries earlier that morning. While it hummed into life, she pulled the curtains closed. Although her vision was obscured by the rivulets of water streaming down the glass, she could just make out the sight of someone leant over the bonnet of a car. With a start she ran to the front door, this time wrenching it open.

"Jack!"

Her voice was accompanied by another clap of thunder, but he heard her. He looked up from the car, concerned.

"Jack, come in!"

Slamming down the bonnet, Jack ran back towards the house, the rain permeating through his clothes and chilling him. Chloe looked agitated; she slammed the door shut as soon as he was inside and ran upstairs, returning a minute later with a huge cream towel.

"Here," she said, handing it to him almost shyly.

"Thanks." Jack shivered as he rubbed the towel over his hair. "Need to take this off," he stammered, shrugging out of his jacket. He looked at Chloe, as though seeking reassurance. She nodded, taking it from him and hanging it on the back of the hall chair. Chloe kept her eyes fixed firmly on the water dripping from the sleeves and onto her tiled floor, not wanting to stare at the rain soaked shirt that was now clinging to Jack's chest.

"Damn thing won't start," he muttered. "I knew I should have taken a CTU car."

A beeping from the study told Chloe that the laptop was ready.

"I'm sorry… you're busy," Jack said quietly.

"Not at all. Um… do you want to use the phone? To ring the garage? I think the phone's still working."

She wants me out of here, Jack thought, watching sadly as she led him into the small lounge now engulfed in semi-darkness. She cleared some magazines from the coffee table to reveal the cordless phone. Picking it up, Chloe verified that it was indeed still working before handing it over to Jack.

"I'll just… be in the study."

Chloe hurried away as he started dialling. The laptop was blinking silently at her. She checked the battery- 97 left. Good. She inserted the flash drive and waited as the machine whirred.

She could hear Jack arguing with the guy on the phone. The words "tomorrow", "work" and "not good enough" were easily discernible. Chloe started to panic. If they couldn't get to him until tomorrow-

Files started popping up all over the screen, demanding attention. One by one, Chloe clicked on them, starting the decryption process. She needed to make sure nothing important had been missed before she deleted the files for good.

"Dammit!"

Chloe stepped back out into the lounge to see Jack peering out of the window. In her haste, she left the door to the study open, the laptop clearly visible.

"They can't get to me until tomorrow," he explained, his back still to her as he assessed the rain. "So I'll have to leave the car here over night, if that's okay?"

He turned then, smiled. "Sorry about this, Chloe. Dammit, this isn't how I wanted it to be."

She wasn't sure if the words had been meant for her, or whether he had been talking to himself. Confused, she pushed them to the back of her mind, deciding that now wasn't the time to analyse every word that Jack said in the vague hope that it would reveal how he felt about her. She was sure Jack had more important things on his mind now other than her, if he thought about her at all…

"Where are you going?" she blurted, noticing that Jack had left the room. Hurrying after him, she saw him putting on his still wet jacket.

"I'm going… home," he replied, wincing as the cold crept through his skin once more.

"No, you're not." Jack was shocked by the authority in Chloe's tone, but not as much as she was. "You can't walk in that," she continued, blushing.

"Then what do you suggest?" His tone was gentle, and Chloe felt her resolve slipping away.

"Stay here." The words were out before she could stop them, and she looked away quickly, feeling the blush creep over her cheeks. She found herself immensely grateful for the darkness of the hallway.

Before Jack could answer, another beep sounded from the study. Grateful for the interruption, Chloe almost ran back towards the laptop, cursing as she noticed the fully open door. Eyes focussed on the screen, she began skimming through the decrypted files, the information as gut wrenching as the first time she had read it.

"I'd like that."

She didn't hear Jack approach until it was too late. Slamming down the lid of the laptop, Chloe leaned on the desk and closed her eyes, praying he hadn't seen anything but knowing he had.


	3. Chapter 2

_**One Night-Chapter 2**_

He had caught only a brief glimpse of the contents of the screen before Chloe had hastily slammed it closed, but it was enough for the words to burn themselves onto the forefront of his mind.

_Operation Dark Eagle._

Even with his eyes closed, Jack could still see the white text shimmering hazily in his field of vision, conjuring up memories he'd hoped were long forgotten.

Chloe blinked but wouldn't meet his gaze, choosing instead her preferred tactic of staring at the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow her. He was walking slowly into the room, and she found herself backing away, leaving the laptop fully at his mercy. However, he bypassed the machine and followed her as she took step after agonising step away from him, her hands feeling behind her to save her from falling in the darkened room. It wasn't until she touched the rough texture of the wallpaper did she stop and face him.

He stood mere inches away from her, a confused expression on his face, his eyes a mixture of concern and… was it anger?

"Chloe, what was that?"

He didn't shout; he didn't need to. His voice wasn't even harsh but the words cut none the less.

Chloe struggled to find a response, a sense of shame creeping over her. She couldn't help but feel as though she had let him down in some way, keeping the files stored on a flash drive which she had then left carelessly lying around CTU for anyone to look at, instead of destroying them like she should have done all those months ago.

She was saved by the hiss of the electricity returning. The light revealed to her that Jack was much closer than she had originally believed, and Chloe struggled to control her breathing. Jack backed away slightly, as though he himself had miscalculated his proximity to her.

Chloe took full advantage of the distraction, moving away from him and back to the laptop, fussing around with the drive until she was sure she hadn't lost any data.

"It was just something Mr Buchanan had me working on," she told him, hoping he couldn't see through her lie. Well, half lie. Bill _had _asked her to work on it, but he had also asked her to destroy the drive as soon as she possibly could. It was her own fault it had dragged out so long.

"Oh, right." Jack relaxed somewhat.

"I didn't mean to overreact," she continued, wishing he would stop looking at her.

"It's fine."

Chloe finally moved away from the computer, the drive still plugged into the back of it. She didn't think any information was lost, but considering the circumstances she couldn't help but feel that it wouldn't matter if it was.

"I'm going to… take a shower," she told him, recalling her earlier plans for the evening. Had it really only been an hour ago that she had gotten in from work? "Do you… uh, want anything to eat? I don't keep much but you might find something in the cupboards," she called as she walked down the hallway and into the small kitchen.

Jack followed her, casting a final glance at the laptop which was now sat innocently in the centre of the desk.

When he didn't answer, Chloe stopped rummaging in the cupboard and turned to look at him.

"You are still staying, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

"If you'll still have me," he smiled.

Deciding it would probably be safer for both of them if she didn't answer that, Chloe nodded and continued her sweep of the kitchen.

"So, coffee is in this one…" she pulled out a large jar and set it down heavily on the worktop. "… and mugs are in here… oh, and there's the fridge…"

Jack laughed. "I'm sure I'll be fine, Chloe. Why don't you go take that shower?"

It was probably glaringly obvious to him that she rarely entertained, let alone brought men home from work. Scowling, she set a mug next to the coffee and reached for the kettle. She was at least going to make him a coffee, show him that she wasn't totally incapable.

"This is a nice place you've got here," Jack mused, glancing casually around, taking in the simple décor and warm furnishings. He had always imagined Chloe living somewhere like this, somewhere she could hide away from the world, certain of not being disturbed. He'd had no problem retrieving her address from her file, but finding the house itself had been another matter.

As the kettle boiled he realised how rude it must have seemed, not to mention presumptuous, his turning up there. Being Chloe, of course, she hadn't said a word.

"Thanks. It's not much but it's okay I guess. Here," she added, handing him a steaming mug.

He took it, his hand brushing hers lightly. Chloe felt her heartbeat react, and willed herself to calm down.

"Chloe, I'm sorry to have intruded."

"It's fine, Jack. Really, I don't mind. I worked out how you got my address," she told him, causing him to smile and look away briefly.

"Yeah, I thought you might."

Chloe couldn't help but smile back. "I'll, uh, be upstairs then. If you need me."

She almost hit her head against the wall. Why had she said that? _If you need me. _Why would he need her? Deciding that she had better leave before causing any more damage, she slipped quickly past him and up the stairs, not catching the amused look playing across Jack's face.

…

Jack waited until he heard the sound of the water running, before leaving the kitchen and walking back into the study.

The laptop whirred loudly as he started it up, surely out of spite that he dared questioned its mistress's actions.

He felt a twinge of guilt at snooping around behind Chloe's back. He _did _believe her, and he trusted her more than he thought possible…

_Then why am I doing this? _

The flash drive kicked in almost instantly. Jack had limited knowledge of technology, but knew enough to decipher the list that began populating, indicating the size of each file and the code that had been used to encrypt it. He skimmed quickly through it, searching for a file that had already been decrypted.

There. A fairly small file, highlighted in red, caught his attention. Setting down his coffee, Jack clicked on the text and waited.

…

It took a while for Chloe to relax under the hot needles of water, the thought of Jack Bauer downstairs in her kitchen doing little to calm her frayed nerves.

Despite the power of the water, she could still hear the rain crashing down outside. Mindful that the electricity could cut out again at any second, she switched off the shower and wrapped herself in a towel, the twin of which she had given to Jack and was still resting on the hall chair.

Back in her bedroom, Chloe reached for her scruffy pyjamas, still lying in a heap from where she had thrown them that morning. She ran a brush through her unruly dark hair, slipped on her pink fuzzy slippers and headed back downstairs.

Finding the kitchen empty, Chloe allowed herself a small smile before following the smell of coffee down the hall. Images of Jack sat on the sofa, _her _sofa, watching TV, flitted through her head, rendering her totally unprepared when she found him collapsed in her desk chair, his head in his hands.

One look at the laptop told Chloe all she needed to know.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

His tone brought tears to her eyes, but she swallowed them back, determined not to break down in front of him when it was clearly the last thing he needed. "Mr Buchanan told me it was highly classified, no one else was to know," she replied quietly. "It wasn't meant to take me this long."

He lifted his head and she gasped at the tears running silently down his cheeks. "So, you were never going to tell me?"

"It wasn't like that, Jack. I didn't… I didn't…"

"You didn't what?"

"I didn't want you to get… I wanted to protect you from it," she stammered finally, blushing furiously.

"You can't protect me from myself, Chloe."

She couldn't think of any words to say to that.

"Maybe I should go," Jack announced suddenly, standing up and wiping his eyes. "This probably isn't such a good idea."

Chloe noticed how he didn't move, staying by the chair, gripping onto it as though he feared his legs may buckle beneath him.

"Okay, Jack."

The desk was between them, meaning he needed to walk past her as he left the room. Chloe plastered a scowl on her face, an attempt to convey her indifference towards the situation.

His jacket was almost dry as he slipped it back on. Within minutes he had opened the front door and walked out of her house.

Chloe leaned against the wall, listening to the rain beating down steadily against the sidewalk. She found herself back in the lounge, aimlessly pulling back the curtains, the tears now obscuring the already compromised view.

She hardly dared to believe it as she saw him running back up the road.

…

They stood side by side in the study, the towel still draped around his shoulders, another cup of coffee in his hands. She had been reluctant, but he had persuaded her to show him, needing to know what she had been trying to protect him from.

He watched as her hands flew across the keyboard, setting the remaining decryption processes in motion.

"Thankyou," he told her, placing a hand on her arm.

Chloe didn't look up, but he felt her tense under his touch.

"There it is," she said finally, after a long silence. "Operation Dark Eagle."

Pulling up the desk chair, Jack began flicking through the files. Chloe paced the room, chewing once more on her nails.

_Operation Dark Eagle, March 2006_

He took his mind back ten months, forcing himself to recall the undercover operation that had almost cost him his life. The files before him went into detail about the intel he had gathered on a group of terrorists operating out of San Fransisco, but he didn't need to read it. He remembered.

"We don't have to do this, Jack," Chloe interjected, watching as his expression became distant.

The last file was of a picture, showing him laid out on a stretcher in CTU medical with tubes all over his body. Bill Buchanan looked on by his bedside, the only other person who had known about the mission.

Or so Jack had thought.

He knew the mission would be kept out of his agency file, but had believed that Bill would have been responsible for the destruction of the data. In no way at all did he ever think Chloe would be brought into it, risking so much in the process.

Jack shut down the last of the files and stood up, crossing the room to where she stood.

"You did this for me."

"Mr Buchanan-"

"Forget Bill. This is what _you _did."

She shrugged. "I didn't really do anything. I mean, I left the damn drive sitting on my desk, anyone could have seen it."

"They didn't, though."

"But they could have!"

Jack smiled. "What do I have to do to convince you that I'm trying to thank you, Chloe O'Brian?"

"You'll never convince me," she muttered. "I did what I did."

He shook his head as she closed down the laptop, this time for good.

"Then I'll just have to say it. Thank you."

"You're welcome." It was their usual exchange; he would go out into the field, she would bring him back, he would thank her and she would say "you're welcome", before they went their separate ways, him usually to the opposite end of the country while she remained behind, ever loyal in case one day he should return.

Except now, inside the relative comfort of her house with a storm raging outside, they had nowhere else _to _go.

As if on cue, Jack's cell phone, previously forgotten in his jacket pocket, started to ring.


	4. Chapter 3

_**One Night, Chapter Three**_

It took a moment for the sound to register itself in Jack's brain. Chloe looked at him pointedly.

"Aren't you going to answer that?"

"What? Oh…"He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and retrieved his cell phone, checking the caller ID before flipping it open.

Chloe watched him walk towards the doorway leading to the lounge. Obviously it was a private call. She busied herself with clearing up their coffee mugs, clanging them together noisily in her haste. She cast a guilty look in Jack's direction, but he didn't even turn around.

"Yes, that's right. I did," she heard him say, his voice receding further into the room.

In the kitchen, Chloe placed the dirty dishes quietly into the already overflowing sink, willing the tower of plates to stay still. It wobbled dangerously, but held.

"I really should wash up," she muttered. Grabbing a sponge and turning on the tap, Chloe got to work, not wanting to be caught listening in on Jack's conversation. Which, she couldn't help but muse, was taking him rather a long time.

It's probably her, she thought, scrubbing a plate with unnecessary force. It slipped out of her hands and crashed into the sink, but remained intact. No wonder he doesn't want me listening. Not that I would _want_ to listen to that, she added as an afterthought. In a minute, he'll come waltzing back in here, announce he's leaving, and this time he won't come back-

"There you are."

His voice inches behind her shocked her out of her daydream, causing yet another plate to escape her grasp. This one wasn't so lucky, slicing cleanly into two halves and taking another plate with it.

"Shit. Don't do that," Chloe muttered, reaching in the sink to pick out the broken china. His hand on her arm stopped her.

"Let me."

Chloe sidestepped out of Jack's way and watched as he pulled out two pieces of white china. "Don't want you cutting yourself," he said, his voice low. He placed the broken crockery on the side, then set to work retrieving the rest of the mess. Chloe watched him as he painstakingly gathered a handful of shards, coming to her senses when she realised he would need a bag to put them in.

"I'll just get a newspaper, I'll wrap it up and bin it," she found herself babbling, disconcerted by how normal it felt to see him stood at her kitchen sink.

"Thanks," he smiled, throwing her further into her reverie.

Somehow, Chloe stumbled back into the lounge and grabbed the first newspaper she could find, returning to see Jack running the water to clear the last of the china out of the sink.

"Think I got all of it," he told her, frowning.

"Thanks, Jack. I could have done it though."

"I know you could. I wanted to. I need to make myself feel useful if I'm going to be spending the night here."

Chloe felt her heart constrict at his words. Spending the night…

"Chloe? You alright?"

Aware that her face must be a peculiar shade of red, Chloe nodded and walked over to the kitchen table, where Jack had placed the ruins of her dinner set.

"That was the garage, on the phone," Jack told her, reaching for a sheet of newspaper. She batted his hand away.

"Good news?" She didn't look up from her task, but he continued regardless, pulling up a chair and settling down across from her, watching her work.

"I gave them my cell phone number earlier. They said there's been a change of plans; they can get someone to me within the hour."

"Oh." She couldn't hide the disappointment. Her hands paused, hovering over the newspaper as though suddenly unsure of what she was doing.

"I told them not to bother."

"Oh."

Chloe looked up at him. "Why?"

Jack shrugged. "I told the guy I would be okay until the morning."

It wasn't the answer Chloe had been expecting, sending the last threads of her daydream floating out of her mind, to be replaced by the harsh reality that Jack Bauer would be spending the night at her house and she had nowhere for him to sleep.

"Yes, well, I don't expect he would want to be messing about in this weather anyway," she muttered, throwing the last of the newspaper into the bin. Wiping away absent crumbs from the wooden table top, she searched her mind frantically for something they could do for the next few hours.

"I could really use a shower, if that's okay," Jack spoke up suddenly. She noticed his face coloured slightly, as though he was embarrassed to be asking such a thing.

"That's fine. The bathroom is on the right as you get to the top of the stairs, clean towels are in the cupboard under the washbasin," Chloe rattled off, relieved that she could have at least ten minutes to figure out this mess she had gotten herself into.

"Great. See you in five."

Make that five minutes, she corrected herself, watching with a sinking heart as Jack headed for the stairs.

The dishes forgotten, Chloe sat down heavily on the chair Jack had vacated, listening to his footsteps on the floor above. She couldn't believe how easily he had accepted the whole thing with _Dark Eagle, _although knowing Jack, he would probably want to know more but didn't think now was the right time to push it.

A clap of thunder shook the house. Chloe heard the water shut off upstairs, Jack most likely having come to the same conclusion she had regarding the electricity.

She retreated to the lounge, not wanting him to see her still as he'd left her, as though awaiting his return. Pushing aside some cushions, Chloe settled on the sofa and flicked mindlessly through a magazine. She tucked her feet up under her, losing the pink slippers as she did so.

After a few minutes, she became aware of a presence to her left. Turning her head, Chloe saw Jack stood awkwardly in the entrance to the lounge, as though seeking her permission to enter.

He smiled as their eyes met, finally stepping into the room and sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa. Chloe cursed herself for not having purchased the matching half price armchair. The salesman had given her a funny look when she had told him that the sofa on its own would be fine, apparently shocked that someone should turn down the offer. On hindsight, Chloe realised that he had probably questioned her decision for the exact same reason she now was.

"There's nothing on the TV, plus I think it will probably give out in a while anyway," she informed him, swinging her feet back to the ground and placing them once again inside her slippers. She realised then that he was wearing the same clothes that he had arrived in. "Do you, uh, want me to see if I can find something of Morris's lying around? I mean, those clothes are damp," Chloe stammered.

"I'm alright," Jack replied. "They aren't too bad."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt, Chloe believing herself to have knocked it on the head by mentioning her ex-husband. They sat in silence, Chloe's magazine and a barricade of cushions separating them.

Jack couldn't help but feel that it shouldn't be this uneasy between them. They were friends, after all, and managed to work together every day without the slightest hesitation. Sometimes he felt as though he'd known her his whole life, other times he realised just how little he _did _know about her. Now, he decided, sitting back slowly on the sofa, was one of those times.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly.

"What for?"

Chloe sighed, and gestured around the room. "For this. I don't normally… I mean, I'm not being a very good hostess, am I? I haven't even asked you if you want something to eat… do you want something to eat?"

"You already asked me that."

"I did? Oh." She sank back into the sofa, apparently at a loss.

"Chloe, you're a great hostess. Really," he added, watching as she rolled her eyes. "You didn't have to put me up, but you did. You've done a lot for me."

"You mean, make you a coffee and let you use my phone?" Chloe scowled. "Anyone could have done that."

"You know what I mean," he replied, voice low and his eyes burning into hers.

"Yes."

"Why did you do it? Dark Eagle?" Jack turned on the couch so that he was facing her, knocking a few cushions to the floor.

"Because Mr Buchanan asked me to." Chloe felt uncomfortable under his stare. Although she had known he would bring the subject up, she could have used a little more time to prepare herself. "And because… because I wanted to."

"It was risk," Jack said quietly. "If anyone had found out you were working on it… Division didn't even know. Bill went against their orders to get me in there. He knew how much we needed the intel and how important it was. They didn't want to know." Jack sounded bitter, despite many years' experience of working under Division's radar. "Everyone else was supposed to think I had gone dark."

"That's what they _did _think," Chloe responded finally, relieved to be on common ground. "The organisation was well known, and Bill wanted to get the intel. He even had Curtis work up some profiles. But when he went to Division and they said no, everyone dropped it. We all assumed that you had gone dark."

"Did you think that's what happened?" It was barely a question; as though he already knew the answer.

Chloe shook her head. "No. But so much was going on at the time. There was the threat from Asia to deal with, which turned out to be nothing. Then the big guns turned up one day, questioning people about your whereabouts." She looked away. "Mr Buchanan told them he didn't know where you were, although a few people started gossiping and thought that there was a wild chance you had gone undercover. That's when Bill approached me.

"He asked me to work up an alias for you, that said you had gone back to D.C and hadn't had any contact with CTU for the seven months you were gone. That's when I knew I had been right. He never questioned why I did it, why I helped him. I think he knew that I had worked it out." She smiled ruefully. "And then you came back…" Jack heard the sharp intake of breath as she no doubt recalled the image of him hooked up to machines in medical.

"And you looked after the data, to make sure no-one else ever found out," he finished, when it was clear that she couldn't continue.

Chloe nodded, the image of Jack fighting for his life as fresh in her memory as it had been all those months ago. She bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"Thank you." The words, spoken now, seemed inadequate to convey the full meaning of what she had done for him.

"I told you, it won't work," she replied, regaining her composure, although she smiled as he once again reached out and placed a hand on her now bare arm.

"Can you believe that rain?" Jack asked after a few minutes. He hadn't moved his hand, and Chloe was in no rush to break their contact. They listened in silence as the wind picked up, howling through the gap under the front door. Reluctantly, Chloe stood. "I better put something under it, otherwise it will be cold in here later."

Jack watched as she left the room. He absently picked up the fallen cushions and placed them next to him, already feeling the chill creeping in from the draught under the door.

It was a while before Chloe returned, holding a tray in her arms. Jack stood to help her, noticing the two tumblers of water and a bowl of salad, with a large packet of potato chips nestled between the glasses.

"I was hungry," she said indignantly, placing the tray on the coffee table and closing the door.

"I can see that."

"It might get cold in here; I rolled the rug right up under the door but it's pretty bad out there." Chloe settled back on the sofa and reached for the chips. "I guess you can share," she told him, offering Jack the packet.

Jack laughed as he took a handful of chips. "Thanks."

As they ate, he noticed that Chloe's eyes were focussed intently at a spot on the carpeted floor, her shoulders shaking.

"Hey." Jack took the tray from her lap and set it down on the floor. "What's the matter?" He moved across the sofa until they were next to each other, Chloe's eyes still pointing downwards. "Don't cry."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are." He hesitantly tilted her chin so that her eyes met his. The pain he saw reflected in them took his breath away.

She pulled back. "I said it's fine, Jack. I'm just a little tired. It's been stressful lately, and it catches up with me from time to time. Really." Chloe managed a small smile. "Now, if you'll give me back my food. Hunger just makes me grouchy."

Jack replaced the tray on her knees. "If you're sure," he conceded, although he didn't buy it. She was keeping something locked up, and it worried him.

"Sure I'm sure."

Unwillingly, Jack let it drop. "I hope Bill's not still at the office," he muttered. "He had a mountain of paperwork to do when I left."

"Karen's home," Chloe informed him through a mouthful of salad. "Isn't that great? He's so much easier to work for when she's around, she makes him happy."

"He told me she was back," Jack replied. "For the week, I think."

"Yeah. But that won't stop him from coming into work. Some people are addicted to that place. You and me included," she added quickly.

"Yeah, I know."

"Wouldn't have it any other way though, would we?" Chloe continued, missing the note of regret in his voice.

"Wouldn't we?"

"Well… I guess there are other things in life." She rolled her eyes. "Sometimes it feels like all I do is work, sleep, work, sleep. And half the time I don't. Sleep, I mean."

"Are you happy, Chloe?"

His question threw her off guard. Chloe contemplated her answer, feeling her defence mechanism kicking in, the barriers raising themselves to create a wall between them.

She returned with a query of her own.

"Are you?"


	5. Chapter 4

_**One Night- Chapter Four**_

Chloe could tell from the way Jack's eyes instantly left hers that he had not been expecting this response, nor was it the right thing to say. Berating herself, she watched as a shadow fell over him, blotting out his previously lighter mood.

"Jack, I'm sorry, we don't have to talk about it," Chloe said quietly, starting to panic as his eyes closed, almost as though blocking out an invisible pain. "I was stupid to have asked," she added, more to herself than to Jack.

After what seemed like hours, Jack opened his eyes and turned back to her.

"I brought it up, Chloe."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have asked you the same thing. I mean, it's obvious that after what you've been through, you might not be happy, and it's none of my business. Oh, God, I'm rambling." She stood up and began pacing, her distress clear.

"Chloe, sit down."

"I can't. I'll be fine in a minute."

"Chloe-"

Jack's sentence was cut short by a loud bang, followed by darkness descending over the room. He was rendered temporarily blind, unable to see Chloe despite her being only a few feet from him.

He heard the lounge door open to his left, and footsteps disappearing down the blackened hallway. Moments later Chloe returned, the candles in her hands casting a yellow glow on her pale face. Jack took the candle she offered him, and waited while she closed the door.

After placing her candle down on the coffee table, Chloe perched on the edge of the sofa. Grabbing a cushion, she held it tightly to her chest, willing herself warm. She still couldn't bring herself to look at Jack, who she knew was looking at her with concern all over his face.

"You're cold."

"No."

"Chloe, please talk to me," he almost pleaded, hating to see her beat herself up about something that in reality, she'd had no control over. "I'm the one that shouldn't have brought it up, please don't do this."

Her head snapped up with a start. "Do what?" she bit out.

"Don't feel bad. Please… I hate seeing you like this."

"Well, it's my own stupid fault for not watching what I say before I open my mouth. And for leaving that drive lying on my desk. Maybe if I hadn't been so forgetful we wouldn't be here right now, and that would be better for both of us."

She heard the smile as he said, "I don't think so, Chloe."

"What?"

"I… I can't think of anywhere else I would rather be right now."

"Really?" Chloe allowed herself to revel in his words, although deep down she knew he was referring to the fact that he was simply grateful not to have to walk home in the rain.

"Yes, really."

"Oh. Well, I don't usually do much in the evenings so this is a change. A good change." She felt the blush rise once more up her cheeks, astounded at how awkward she was finding what should have been a simple evening.

_But, _her mind argued,_ things stopped being simple the minute you invited Jack Bauer into your house._

Ignoring her inner demons, Chloe tucked her feet up under her once more and relaxed into the plush upholstery of the sofa. She could feel her eyes beginning to close; not out of tiredness but out of the sense of calm that had flooded her at Jack's words.

"So… um, what do you do, usually?"

Chloe opened her eyes somewhat reluctantly. Jack had placed his candle next to hers, and now the twin flames bobbed slowly in the draught coming in under the door.

"In the evenings? Not much," she replied truthfully, and Jack thought he heard a hint of regret in her voice. "I just… well, upgrade stuff on my laptop… sometimes I sort through some files I didn't have a chance to do at CTU." Chloe wondered if Jack had noticed that she hadn't answered his question regarding her happiness. She noted with a sense of irony that she now was providing the answer, albeit inadvertently.

"I see."

"Not very exciting, I know," she muttered, self-deprecatingly.

"It's alright. You like it, then it's okay."

"I wish I had other things though, like…" Chloe trailed off, not allowing herself to finish the sentence.

"It would be nice to come home to someone, wouldn't it?" Jack's voice seemed far away; Chloe wasn't sure if he was referring to himself or finishing the sentence for her. It was slightly unnerving.

A silence followed his words, although it was a different sort of silence to the awkwardness of before. Something, a line, had been crossed, although what that meant neither of them dared to admit.

"Yes," Chloe replied finally. "Yes, I guess it would." She had decided she had nothing to lose by telling him; perhaps he would assume she was merely sympathising with him, that that wasn't in fact what she had been going to say before her brain kicked in and told her to shut up.

"What do you normally do?" she asked finally, when she received no response.

"I try not to be at home too much," Jack replied. He was now mirroring her position on the sofa, his already damp clothes doing little against the cold that was now seeping into the room. "Most nights I just drive around. I don't sleep well."

"Nor do I," replied Chloe, her heart aching at the image of Jack, lost and alone, driving the streets of Los Angeles into the small hours of the morning. She was pleased to have been able to provide him with some comfort, if only for one evening.

Jack smiled. "Then I guess you won't mind if you hear me pacing around in the middle of the night. It's sort of a habit."

"Promise me you won't go out walking," Chloe told him, only half joking.

"I won't," Jack replied sincerely. "You have my word."

The conversation brought Chloe's mind round to the inescapable dilemma of where Jack was going to sleep. As she watched him, illuminated only by the weak glow of the candles, his eyes drifted shut and he leaned his head against the back of the couch.

"I don't have a spare room, Jack," she said quietly, not wanting to disturb him but needing to get this part of the evening over with as quickly as possible.

"Hmm?"

"I don't have a spare room."

His eyes flickered open. "It's okay, I'll take the couch. Don't want you giving up your bed for me."

Chloe crossed her arms over chest, mock angry. "I wasn't going to, don't worry."

She thought she saw a smile play across his lips. "I wasn't expecting you to. Besides, this is quite comfortable. I sleep on the couch at home."

"Don't you have a bed?" she squeaked, before she could stop herself.

"Yeah. I just don't use it."

With every word he said, Chloe felt progressively worse. Despite not intending to, he was doing a great job of making her feel bad for him.

"Don't," he said, as though reading her thoughts. "Don't feel bad for me."

"I can't help it," she replied, scowling. "You're painting quite a picture."

"Sorry." He laughed tiredly. "I don't want pity, Chloe. God knows I don't deserve it, least of all from you."

"There you go ag- what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"What?" Jack replied sleepily.

Chloe shook her head, realising that once again, she had been over-analysing the situation. "Nothing. Never mind. I wish this damn electricity would come back on," she muttered.

As she spoke, she watched first one, then the other candle flicker and go out.

"Dammit!" Chloe stood to relight the candles, but Jack grabbed her arm. "Ow. What?"

"Leave them. We're okay like this."

"You might be. I'm not." When it was clear he wasn't letting her leave, Chloe sat slowly back down on the edge of the couch. "I don't like the dark," she whispered. "I don't like not being able to see anything. I can hardly see you. Please, let me go and get the matches."

"You don't like the dark?" Jack's voice sounded from her left, much closer than it had been minutes ago.

"No, okay? Don't make me say it again. It's not funny." Despite herself, Chloe heard her voice crack and tears collect behind her eyes for the third time that evening.

"I'm not laughing." Jack stood up, turned to where he believed Chloe to be, and held out his hand. "I'll come with you. Here, take my hand."

Somewhat timidly, Chloe reached out until her fingers brushed against his, holding on tighter than necessary as she picked herself up from the sofa. She followed behind Jack as he led them out of the lounge and down the hall into the kitchen, where she had left the matches on the table. Releasing his hand, Chloe felt around until her hand connected with the small cardboard box, and she gripped it tightly.

"Got them," she announced. The kitchen was eerily silent behind her. "Jack?" she called warily.

"I'm here, Chloe." She felt his hand slip into hers again, squeezing it in reassurance.

"Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for. Come on, let's go back. Watch your step." He guided her back the way they had come, making sure she was settled on the couch before retaking his seat next to her. He watched as she relit the candles, her hands shaking.

"It's a stupid fear, I know," she sighed, reclaiming her cushion and once again holding it against her chest. "Kids are scared of the dark, not fully grown women, right?"

"We all have our weaknesses, Chloe," he told her, understanding like no-one else could.

"It's a stupid weakness."

"Nothing about you is stupid."

"Please, Jack, you don't have to cheer me up, okay? I already feel ridiculous for telling you."

"Why?" he asked softly.

"Because… because I've never admitted it to anyone. Remember that time last month when we had a power cut at CTU? I got trapped in tech one because the doors sealed themselves shut. It was a good two hours before Mr Buchanan found me. No-one seemed to realise I had even gone," she added sadly.

"I did."

"Sorry?"

"I knew you'd gone. I knew where you were. I told them to take a team to tech one, pry the doors open, but Milo was adamant that no-one was in there." Jack sounded angry at the memory. "I nearly kicked his ass once they found you," he added.

Chloe couldn't help but smile at his protectiveness. "How did you know?"

"I saw you leave your station," he told her simply, and once again Chloe's heart was crushed. _Of course that's how he knew, _her brain mocked, _why, how else did you expect him to know? Did you expect him to say he'd been watching you all day from his office, just like you watch him?_

"Oh right. Well, anyway, it wasn't much fun in there, and ever since I've had this fear of the dark. So there you go. That's why I'm scared of the dark."

"You don't need to be scared tonight," he told her, and she thought she heard his voice shake ever so slightly.

"With a bit of luck the lights will come on in a minute," Chloe agreed.

"That's not what I meant," Jack whispered, but his words were lost as Chloe got her wish and light once again flooded the lounge.

"Thank God!" Chloe leaned over and blew out the candles, the black slivers of smoke rising up and gradually disappearing. She turned her eyes to the wall clock hanging above the TV. "It's ten thirty. Seems later," she mused, standing and clearing away her dishes. "I'm going to get another drink, would you like one?"

"All that coffee's not going to help you sleep," Jack countered, but followed her into the kitchen.

"I'm immune to caffeine," she told him lightly. "Trust me, it doesn't affect me any more."

"You said you don't sleep."

"What is this, an interrogation?"

"No, I'm just concerned, that's all."

"Well, you don't need to be," she retorted, struggling with the lid on the coffee. "I'm fine, I've looked after myself long enough." The lid finally came loose, sending coffee beans spilling out onto the floor. "Great, now look what you made me do."

"I didn't do that," Jack smiled, as Chloe scowled at the mess surrounding her feet. "Here, let me help you clear it up."

She waved him away. "No, no, it's okay. You've tidied up enough for me tonight." She knelt down and began scooping up the granules into her hands. "Maybe it was a sign I shouldn't have another coffee."

"I would say so. You'll sleep better for it," Jack told her, crouching down and helping despite the determined glare she sent in his direction.

"I doubt it. I told you, coffee isn't the problem." Chloe paused. She looked up to see Jack gazing at her intently. "It's something else."


	6. Chapter 5

_**One Night- Chapter Five**_

Jack continued to stare at her, unaware that he was doing so until Chloe blushed and turned away.

"It's nothing drastic," she continued hastily, sensing that he wanted an answer, and wouldn't look away until he got it. The last of the coffee collected in her hand, Chloe stood and brushed the mess into the sink. Jack did the same, still trying to keep his emotions in check after he'd almost slipped up.

"Most of the time I'm just not tired. Or I'm cold." She hoped he couldn't tell she was babbling, or worse, lying.

"Well, I guess you have got a draught coming in under the front door. You should get that sorted out." Jack was deliberately avoiding her eyes, fearing they would betray him once more.

"Yeah… so, uh, now that the coffee's gone, did you want anything else? Some water?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Maybe I should set the sofa up for you. I mean, I know it's not late, but if I do it now…"

Again, Jack couldn't help but feel that he wasn't wanted there. She had seen him staring and probably now felt embarrassed, or even sorry for him. He wasn't sure which was worse.

"I'll help you," he spoke up, startling them both. "With the sofa." Might as well get it over with, he thought bitterly.

"Oh, okay."

If Chloe was shocked, she didn't show it. She led the way somewhat nervously up the stairs, occasionally glancing over her shoulder as though to make sure he was still there.

Her bedroom was two doors down from the bathroom. The entire upper floor consisted of these two rooms, with a storage closet nestled in between, and a small linen closet tucked into a niche at the end of the hall. Chloe stopped before it, and tugged gently on the door before it opened to reveal a modest display of her freshly ironed clothes.

"I've got a spare quilt in here somewhere." Chloe ducked her head under one of the shelves and began rummaging. "And a pillow," she added, her voice muffled. "Here, catch."

She threw the pillow out behind her, which Jack caught in both hands. The quilt didn't come so easily. A pile of clothes collapsed onto the floor, followed by another as Chloe tugged on the offending item.

"It won't budge! I think it's stuck," she muttered, peering back into the closet. "Although I can't see how…"

Jack put the pillow down on the floor and took hold of the edge of the quilt that Chloe had managed to pull free. "Let me try," he offered. Chloe nodded, but maintained her grip. "Okay, one, two-"

The quilt finally dislodged itself and came flying out at them with such force that Chloe was knocked off her feet, landing on the carpeted floor in a tangle of quilt and clothes.

"Hey, you alright?" Jack was knelt at her side, helping her to sit up. He checked her head for any bumps, his hands on her skin causing her face to fire up. She pushed him away gently, but he remained beside her.

"I'm okay," Chloe reassured him, willing herself to calm down. She wasn't hurt, just dazed and a little bit embarrassed, but there he was, fussing over her like she'd fallen down the stairs. In spite of herself, Chloe found that she actually liked it; she realised with a pang that she'd missed having someone to take care of her.

"Are you sure?" His eyes were searching hers, his concern evident.

"Yes, Jack, I'm sure. Now help me get up." She held out her hand. She hadn't meant to be abrupt with him, but knew that if she stayed there much longer she wouldn't be responsible for the words that came out of her mouth.

Jack stood and took her hand, gripping it tightly. He picked the quilt up from the floor and was about to tidy her clothes away when he paused. "Sorry, I shouldn't be doing that," he said quietly, moving away while Chloe hastily shoved the garments back onto their rightful shelves. She smiled at him as she closed the closet. "It's okay."

She picked up the pillow and turned to follow Jack down the stairs. To her surprise, he was holding his hand out for her. Tentatively, Chloe took it, smiling to herself as his fingers closed around hers.

Jack didn't let go until they had returned to the lounge. Slowly, he disentangled his hand from hers, his fingers brushing against her palm. He knew it to be entirely inappropriate, but couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. His brain was being ignored completely.

Chloe felt her skin tingle at his touch, although all too soon he had returned his arm to his side and was offloading the cushions onto the floor. He seemed suddenly preoccupied and was again avoiding her eyes.

They didn't speak as together they set the quilt and the pillow onto the couch. Chloe added an extra cushion for comfort, and then stood back.

"It's not much," she said apologetically.

Jack sat down and patted the seat next to him. "It's fine."

Frowning, she settled next to him, drawing her knees up under her chin. "I hope it's warm enough."

"It is. Now stop worrying about it."

"I guess it's only for one night," she sighed.

Jack looked away. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"I don't know what time you want to, uh, sleep… I normally leave it a couple more hours but if you're tired, just let me know. Feel free to kick me out." Chloe managed a small smile.

"I'll bear that in mind," he smiled back.

There was now a noticeable drop in temperature, accentuated by the wind that was howling against the windows. In spite of herself, Chloe rubbed her arms and shivered.

"You're cold," Jack repeated.

"No."

"Yes, you are. Get in." He stood up and peeled back the quilt.

"What?" Chloe's voice raised a few notches, although she managed to refrain from squealing.

"Get under the quilt. It will keep you warm."

"What about you?" she countered, stalling.

"I'll be fine, quit arguing and move," he grinned, knowing exactly what she was doing.

Sighing, Chloe realised that this was one argument she wasn't going to win. She obeyed and moved to the opposite end of the couch, which, she couldn't help but notice, was still warm from where he'd been sitting. She sat back defiantly and covered her legs with the quilt, determined not to give in completely by curling up in a ball and closing her eyes.

Jack settled on the floor, resting back against the sofa. "Warm now?" he asked, his voice gentle. Chloe again felt the pang of needing to be taken care of. If she wasn't careful, she was going to lose herself in this current fantasy, the one where Jack actually gave a damn. It was a dream she knew all to well, and it had to remain like that. As a dream.

Chloe scowled at him. "Yeah, thank you. You're not though."

"Don't argue."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are, and I'm not moving so get used to it."

Lost for a retort, Chloe shot what she hoped was a glare in his direction and pulled the quilt tighter around her.

"I expect people will talk about this," she mused after a few minutes of silence, causing Jack to stare at her sharply.

"About what?"

"About u- about you staying here," she corrected herself.

"Let them talk," Jack muttered. "I don't care. Do you?" His tone was almost accusatory, and Chloe felt herself shrink back into the comfort of the sofa.

"No," she told him honestly, her eyes not leaving his, needing to assure him. "I won't say anything," she added.

"Why? We're not doing anything to be ashamed of!"

"I know… Jack… please don't shout," she whispered, shocked at this outburst of emotion. She desperately wished she hadn't said anything, but it was too late now to take it back. Slowly but surely, she was undoing whatever semblance of calm had started to fall over the evening.

Something in her voice got to him. He twisted round so that he was crouching before her and took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Just…"

"I know." Jack closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. All traces of anger had left his face, to be replaced by a sadness that almost tore Chloe's heart in two.

"Let's forget I even said that," Chloe offered, knowing deep down that he wouldn't forget, would keep playing it over in his mind, looking for some way to blame himself over the rumours that would surely abound through CTU by the next day. She could almost feel the guilt radiating from him as he finally turned and sat back down.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop it, Jack."

In his head, he knew this was around about the time that he would snatch up his car keys and start driving, trying to get away from himself, from the anger and the guilt that he'd learnt to carry throughout the years. But tonight there would be no driving, and he'd promised Chloe that he wouldn't go out walking. He'd given her his word, and he wouldn't break that. Not to her. As he watched her fight back a yawn, he knew he couldn't have left her, not even if he'd tried.

"You're not going anywhere," she told him warningly.

"I gave you my word," he told her, needing her to understand how important that was.

"And I trust you," she replied, knowing how much he needed to hear that.

It was a while before she noticed that he was still holding her hand, his body angled towards her ever so slightly and his head resting on the arm of the sofa. His eyes remained open, blinking back sleep and focussing solely on her. Chloe momentarily allowed herself to drown in his gaze, but pulled back before she got in too deep. _He's tired, probably doesn't even realise what he's doing._

Chloe tried to pull her hand away, not wanting to break their connection but needing to maintain some sort of control on the situation. Jack tightened his grip, forcing Chloe's mind to back down and reconsider its argument.

"Where are you going?"

"N-nowhere," Chloe stammered, her heart pounding. "I… I just…" she looked down at her lap, where his hand was intertwined with hers.

Jack's eyes followed hers, panic setting is as he saw how uncomfortable she felt. He hadn't meant to hold on for as long as he had, and silently cursed himself for his weakness. He slowly pulled his hand away, reluctant to give up her touch no matter how unwittingly she had given it.

"Don't say it," she told him, before he could begin apologising.

Jack merely nodded, his hand still resting on the edge of the sofa.

"I think… I'm going to go to bed." A yawn escaped her lips. "If that's okay. You can watch TV or something, if you want."

"Of course it's okay. It's your house. I might try and get some sleep too."

Chloe pushed back the quilt and stood up, stretching her tired muscles. "There you go," she said, rearranging the sofa, "all yours."

"Thanks." Jack got to his feet. "I'll just use the bathroom, if that's okay?"

"You don't have to ask."

As he left the room, Chloe busied herself with locking up, triple checking that she'd put the latch on the front door. In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water for the night. She heard Jack coming back down the stairs and walked back out into the hall to find him checking the front door just as she had minutes earlier.

"It's locked," she informed him, suppressing a smile.

"Just have to be sure," he replied, satisfying himself that the door really was locked before turning to face her.

"Thank you."

They hovered at the foot of the stairs, neither having thought this far ahead into the evening. Chloe placed one hand on the banister, unsure.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning," she improvised, certain that that was the required spiel for the circumstances.

"I guess so."

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Chloe. Sleep well," he added softly, watching as she turned and made her way up the stairs. At the top she paused, looked back, a frown on her face.

"You too, Jack."

She disappeared from view and he heard a door creak open, presumably into her bedroom. Jack lingered at the bottom of the stairs a moment longer, and then returned to the sitting room, leaving the door wide open behind him. He eyed the couch sadly, the pillow still indented where she had leant against it. Not bothering to undress, he switched off the light and climbed onto the sofa. The bedding smelled of her, and Jack wrapped the quilt around him tightly, trying to block out the sound of her footsteps on the floor above.


	7. Chapter 6

_**One Night- Chapter Six**_

Chloe yawned as she got into bed, pulling the sheets tightly around her. The curtains were still open, weak moonlight filtering in between the streaks of rain still lashing mercilessly at the window. The streetlamp that normally illuminated her bedroom had failed, rendering it darker than usual. Any other night, Chloe would have appreciated this, but tonight the darkness didn't want to be her friend.

Plumping up the pillows, she lay down on her back, eyes fixed on the plain white ceiling above, achingly aware of the empty space beside her and the man sleeping downstairs on her couch.

She couldn't hear any movement on the floor below. The only noise was the steady drumming of the rain and the howling of the wind.

It took a few minutes before she closed her eyes, her body trying to hold out against the exhaustion that had been creeping up on her for weeks, or even months. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept properly.

_Yes, you can._

Chloe shifted, trying to block out the voice. She buried her head under the pillow and screwed her eyes up, but still it tormented her, forcing her to admit that she hadn't slept properly since Dark Eagle, since… since she'd almost lost him.

…

A strong wave of cold air permeated the lounge, causing Jack to pull the quilt tighter around him. The sofa was surprisingly comfortable, and the room adequately dark, but he just couldn't sleep.

He could still smell lingering traces of her perfume, unsure now whether or not it was his imagination playing tricks on him. Always a light sleeper, the slightest sound jolted him awake each time he managed to drift off, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop thinking of her.

Jack guessed she must have fallen asleep. Punching the pillow, he closed his eyes again but it wasn't happening. Despite having been tired earlier in the evening, his senses were now on full alert.

He thought about his car, abandoned on the other side of the road. It had been running fine all day; he'd put gas in it and checked the tyres. The engine had shown no sign of failing. Part of him wished the damn thing had just started, and then he could have driven away and spent the evening by himself, doing God knows what.

But another part of him was relieved the evening had turned out this way. Sure, they were in separate rooms but he could still keep her safe. And just knowing that she was upstairs filled him with a sense of… belonging… of calm… that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Pushing back the quilt, Jack got up off the couch and crept quietly out of the room. He was going to do what he'd told Chloe not to do earlier- have a cup of coffee. As he felt his way along the blackened hall, he figured that she would have another jar of it somewhere, despite wasting most of it earlier.

He found what he hoped was the kitchen and flicked on the light. The tiled flooring was cold, but he persisted across to the kettle, filling it with water and standing back to wait while it boiled. There was a clean mug on the draining board. Taking it, Jack placed it on the table before going in search of the coffee. He felt awful going through Chloe's cupboards, looking at all washing materials and uneaten food. He found what he was looking for after four attempts, and shut the cupboard gratefully. It wasn't his place to be making himself at home. Like she'd said, it was only for one night…

Jack cursed as he poured too much water into his mug. It cascaded down to the floor, collecting in a pool at his feet. He cast his eye around for a teacloth, finding one draped across the back of a chair.

The worst of the water cleared up, Jack picked up his mug and switched off the kettle. After much debate, he put the now dirty teacloth by the sink and turned to leave the room.

Chloe was hovering in the doorway, her hair mussed and her eyes bleary.

"Did I wake you?" Jack was now very aware of how long he'd been in the kitchen, and found himself wondering how long she had been stood there.

Chloe shook her head. "I wasn't asleep. Can't sleep."

"Me either."

"That coffee's not going to help," she mused, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Now who told you that rubbish?" Jack smiled back, taking in how adorable she looked in her tatty old pyjamas but not having the nerve to tell her so.

"Oh, some guy."

"Some guy?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Did you want me to make you a drink?"

"No, I'm okay. Just…" She trailed off, looked down at the floor. "I just needed to get out of there for a bit. I often walk around the house at night, it calms me down, helps me think."

Jack pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. After a moment's hesitation, Chloe padded across the room and took a seat. Jack sat opposite her, his coffee between his hands in an attempt to warm them.

"What do you think about?"

"Oh, you know, stuff… work mainly… nothing interesting," she added hastily. "Don't think I've got some highly exciting social life that keeps me awake half the night." She blushed. "Sorry. You probably didn't want to know that."

"It's alright."

"Well, since Morris left me I'm pretty much on my own most nights. Sometimes Nadia comes over for a drink but she's got Milo so it's not very often…" Chloe sighed, cringing at how pathetic he must think she was. "But that's okay."

"Morris left you?"

Chloe took a deep breath. "Yeah. Again. Right after… well I thought he'd leave sooner actually… he left that day you… you came back after Dark Eagle." She hung her head as though ashamed, but his hand crept across the table and gripped hers, causing her to look back up at him.

"Not your fault," he managed to say, restricted by the lump forming in his throat.

She merely nodded. "Yeah."

He released her hand, mindful of her earlier reaction. What she'd done for him was self-sacrificing, selfless… and how had he repaid her?

"Do you hear from Audrey?"

It was as though she'd read his mind.

"No, not any more. She's in New York I think. Engaged." Jack recalled how Audrey had rushed to his bedside only hours after Bill had notified her. She'd never told the DOD, despite her strong objections to every aspect of the way CTU operated. Instead she had whisked Jack out of medical and into a luxury penthouse apartment in the foothills of Los Angeles, somewhere they had used to stay whenever they were on business in the city.

"It worked, for a while," he found himself telling an attentive Chloe, "you know, we tried to be happy. But what with China… and then the mission… she was already unhappy that I'd chosen to go back to CTU, and not knowing about Dark Eagle caused a lot of tension between us." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Anyway, so we decided that it wouldn't work, and she moved back to Washington, while I stayed here."

"Ever wish you'd gone with her?" The words came before Chloe had time to filter them, her tone emotive.

"Never." He looked her straight in the eyes. "It was the right choice to make."

"You seem pretty sure." Chloe looked down at her hands now folded in her lap. She hated that she'd been the one to mention Audrey; she hardly wanted to spend the night talking about the so called love of Jack's life. Yet she was finding it difficult to bring the subject to a close.

"I am sure. It wasn't working." Jack finished the last of his coffee and pushed his mug away. "I can't remember the last time we did this," he said, a hint of a smile on his face.

"What? Reminisce about our exes? I don't know about you, but I try not to do it too often."

"Good point." He was quiet for a minute, as though debating whether or not to carry on. "I mean… when was the last time we talked? Properly talked?"

"I don't think we ever have, not really," Chloe replied, a hint of regret in her voice.

"We should do it again."

Chloe stared at him incredulously. "You're serious?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

She shrugged. "Well, unless we get another evening of bad weather like this, and your car breaks down again while you're in the neighbourhood… then I guess it won't happen any time soon. CTU is hardly the place for social chit chat, is it?" she added ruefully.

The hurt that flitted across Jack's face did not go unnoticed. "I was hoping we could… make time… outside work… but if you don't want to then that's okay. I know it's uncomfortable talking about that sort of stuff anyway."

_This has to be a dream…_

"Jack… I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tired. I'd love to."

He smiled, sending butterflies coursing through her stomach. "Really?" He seemed so unsure, so vulnerable. "I would like that."

"Well, anytime you want to talk, just let me know," she told him, with more confidence than she felt. She could imagine it now… Jack pouring out all his problems with Audrey, with CTU, with life in general, while she sat there and soaked it all in, shouldering his problems as well as her own. She would then talk about her stuff, infinitely less important than his, which would make her feel even more worthless than she already did-

"Chloe?" She became aware that Jack had moved, was now stood by the sink. "I'm going to try and go back to sleep. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'll try again too. Can't sit in here all night, can I?" Standing up, she tucked her chair in and began walking towards the door. "Thanks, Jack."

"What for?"

"For listening."

He waited by the sink until he was sure she had gone back upstairs, before rinsing out his cup and returning to the sofa.

…

This time Chloe shut the bedroom door behind her. She held her hand to her mouth, holding back the sob that she was sure would escape given the chance. The tears burned the backs of her eyes. Climbing back into bed, she buried her face once more into the pillow and let them fall, a seemingly endless cascade of salty water. She didn't know who or what she was crying for.

Never did she think she would be talking to Jack about her failed marriage. She'd left out most of it, such as the fact that Morris had cheated on her several times, how he'd lied to her, hurt her. It wasn't important. It happened, and she had to deal with it.

She wiped her eyes, the worst of her sobs subsiding. She found herself able to drift off into a light sleep, one filled with a dream she knew she'd had before.

It was about Jack. He was in medical, and she was watching over him from the sanctuary of the hallway. Then Bill was there, and she was going back in time, seeing the images of Jack on her computer screen, bloodied and bruised and barely alive. Milo was saying something to her, and there was noise everywhere. She couldn't think. He was being carried into CTU, medics and agents running down the corridor. Someone held her back, just like they always did. And then suddenly Bill was back, stood at the foot of the stairs, his face ashen… she'd lost him… she'd lost him…

…

Jack tossed and turned restlessly, listening to the rain which seemed to be gradually subsiding. He'd fallen asleep, but woken almost instantly, as though afraid to be caught off guard even for a minute.

He shifted again, causing a cushion to fall to the floor, landing amongst the unruly heap. He'd almost closed his eyes again when he heard it.

Someone was shouting.

It took a few moments for the noise to register, and he began to think that maybe he'd imagined it; the wind obscuring his thoughts.

But then he heard it again, and this time the voice was more frantic, the sense of urgency pushing away the last fog of sleep still clouding his mind and sending chills running right through him.


	8. Chapter 7

_**One Night- Chapter Seven**_

Jack shot off the sofa and took the stairs two at a time, cursing himself for not having recognised her voice sooner. It seemed to take an age for him to reach the upstairs hallway, pushing blindly through the darkness, the shouting somewhat quieter now, although fused with anguish.

She was lying in bed, shaking visibly, muttering his name over and over as though in a trance, the tears still falling from her bloodshot eyes.

Momentarily stunned, Jack hesitated only briefly in the doorway before rushing to her side.

Chloe seemed unaware of his presence; her eyes did not move from their fixed spot on the ceiling as he knelt down beside the bed, at a loss for how to comfort her. Unsure whether or not she was still asleep, he waited while she struggled to control her breathing, not daring to touch her. Her eyes were open but battling to remain that way, her hair splayed wildly across the tear soaked pillow. Jack felt tears prick the backs of his own eyes as he helplessly watched her obvious distress.

Not for the first time that evening, he reached out and took Chloe's small hand in his, terrified at how badly she was trembling. Only then did she look at him, her eyes darting around the room as though in disbelief.

"Jack?" Her voice was thick with sleep and choked with yet unshed tears. Slowly, she twisted towards him, the sheets becoming even more tangled beneath her.

"Hey." He managed a small smile. "What's wrong?"

Chloe frowned. "Nothing. Everything's fine… what are you doing up here anyway?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?" Her frown deepened. "What's going on?"

Jack took a deep breath, looking for an easy way to broach the subject. He realised there wasn't one, his only option being to tell her the truth. That's what they'd always been about, and he wasn't going to start lying to her now.

"You… you were shouting. I think you had a nightmare."

She closed her eyes, and he thought he saw a glimmer of realisation cross her face as she tried to remember.

"Oh, God… I'm sorry… I woke you up." She paused, shifting again on the bed so that she was now completely facing him. "Um… what was I shouting?" she asked quietly, as though embarrassed.

"I didn't really hear it."

"Jack. Look at me. What was I shouting? Come on, it's embarrassing enough as it is, I don't see how it can get much worse," she demanded, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

He should have known she'd see right through his excuse. Meeting her eyes, he replied, "My name. You were shouting my name."

Chloe slumped back against the pillow, pulling her hand away from his. There was no doubt in her mind that he was telling her the truth.

"Oh, God."

"We don't have to talk about it," Jack said quickly, standing up although reluctant to leave her. "It's okay."

Chloe nodded. She understood what he was trying to say, that he didn't need to know and he wasn't going to push her for an answer. But she knew she had to tell him, if not for his sake then for hers. She'd kept the pain locked up inside for far too long, and her nightmare was her body's way of telling her to turn the key and let it go.

"Jack…wait." She sat up in the bed, pushed her hair behind her ears. Jack paused, only having taken a few steps away from her. He turned back, not needing to be asked twice.

"I… I want to talk about it. No. I _need _to talk about it." She took a deep breath. "Would you mind listening?"

"Of course not." He moved back over to the side of the bed and crouched down as he had before, concern written all over his face.

He waited patiently for her to begin, not rushing her lest she changed her mind. He could see how important this was.

"I've… been having trouble sleeping," Chloe started, her voice still shaky. "Sometimes I have nightmares, other times I just don't sleep because I see things behind my eyes… bad things… bad things happening to you.

"It started really when you came back from China, although it wasn't so bad back then. I would pretend it was stress, which I guess it was in a way. But I had stuff to take my mind off it. Morris and I… we were having problems… he cheated on me."

She saw Jack tense up, but he remained silent.

"Anyway, then we had all that Asia stuff to deal with… then Mr Buchanan approached me about Dark Eagle. He knew about Morris but never said anything. I was stupid to think he'd changed," she mused bitterly.

"No you weren't."

"Thanks. But it's okay. I knew how he was and I should have learned. But I was upset and he was there for me. Anyway, the day he left me was the day you came back. I'd been preoccupied all day, he said I never had time for him anymore; my mind was always on other things. It ended in a huge row right in the middle of CTU. Security had to escort him from the building. I tried to get down to medical to see you, but… I was too late."

She stopped for breath, acutely aware that she had started babbling. Absently, she reached out and took Jack's hand, needing reassurance that he was there.

"You say you saw bad things," he asked her gently. "What did you see?"

"Mostly it was made up, because obviously I didn't know what had happened to you in China or Dark Eagle, although I had a pretty good idea. I was on comm. when Mr Buchanan found you; he'd made me work from his office to stop people distracting me. When I saw you, lying there…" He heard her breath hitch in her throat and knew she couldn't say any more.

"Chloe…"

"That's all it was," she told him, although her eyes spoke a different story.

"Chloe…" It was Jack's turn to seek comfort, taking hold of her other hand, tracing her palm with his fingers. "The mission, I never would have taken it if I'd known…"

"If you'd known what? That Morris was going to be a jerk about it? You didn't tell Audrey, so why should you have told me?"

As usual, her bluntness helped clear his mind, made him see things in focus. "No, I didn't tell Audrey," he affirmed. "But it was such a dangerous risk."

"You never let that stop you before."

"I don't mean for me." He paused. "When Bill approached me, I knew I had to take it. These guys in San Francisco had been on our radar for some time, and I felt as strongly about it as Bill did. Division's refusal only made me more determined. It was arranged that I would go undercover with this group. Bill didn't know how long it would take, but I told him that it would take as long as it took."

"It took a long time," she murmured, the feel of his fingers fluttering over her skin shutting everything out of her mind, her sole focus being on him and what he needed to say.

"I know. It was pretty tough. I won't tell you what they did to me to 'accept' me into the group. I had to convince them I was one of them. My cover story was that I was ex-military, pissed off by the way the government treated me."

There was a brief silence as they both reflected on the element of truth echoed in his words.

"One guy, I forget his name, was wary of me from the start. You generally find that with terrorist cells; someone is always on the look out for a mole. He tried to convince the others that I wasn't who I said I was, and I came pretty close to being found out. The group were in the middle of a plan to bomb major cities across the country, and so this guy's accusations didn't come to much- at the time."

"Did Mr Buchanan know any of this?"

"I had limited contact with him. He could only call me at certain times, and he thinks his phone was tapped from Division. His calls stopped about a month before the end of the mission."

"That's when the hot shots turned up," Chloe muttered angrily. "I remember it now. Mr Buchanan left his office to talk to them, and when he went back up he saw one of them mucking about with his phone. He did have his phone tapped," she confirmed.

Jack gripped her hand with such strength that Chloe bit her lip to stop from crying out. The rage in his eyes was blinding, but she never looked away, needing to hear this truth no matter how ugly it was.

"I managed to take hold of their plans," he continued. "These guys were good; they were working for months before even thinking about launching their attacks. That's why Bill wanted to pre-empt them. I stole their schematics and almost made it to the car when I heard footsteps behind me…"

He closed his eyes, reliving the moment when he'd truly believed it to be all over. His months in China had weakened him, and he'd gone out into the field a shadow of his former self. He'd surrendered to them, unable to remember how to fight back. Suddenly it hadn't seemed worth it. He had no-one on the other end of the line, willing him to hold on; there was no voice in his ear to guide him.

And yet here she was. She'd been there all the time.

"Bill was the only one who knew how to find me, hence the reason why he came out into the field. He brought me back to CTU, and that's when Division finally decided that maybe we were onto something. I couldn't play a part in what happened next, but I know Bill sent a team after them, based on the limited intel I had managed to retrieve. It just seems… I put a lot of people through a lot of pain."

"No."

Her voice was firm but gentle. He angled his head towards her and she saw a flicker of light in his eyes, a flame she knew would strengthen in time once he had learned to deal with the guilt. It would be a long time before he forgave himself, and it wouldn't be easy, but she needed him to know that she would be there.

Lightning continued to flash outside, as though reminding them of its presence, telling them that the worst of the weather was yet to come. It was followed by a roar of thunder, and the rain resumed its steady beating against the window.

"It must be so late," she murmured, noting how Jack's eyes were drifting shut. "We'd better get some sleep."

"Yeah." He released her hands and got slowly to his feet. "I… I'm glad we talked about that."

"Me too."

"So, um, I'll see you in the morning. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Talking helped," she assured him, noting how he hadn't moved from her bedside, how he was almost leaning over her, his hand reaching out to touch her-

"Good night, Chloe."

She realised that he was by the door; before she could respond he was gone, his footsteps vanishing into the darkness.

Chloe curled up under the sheets, feeling somewhat calmer. She couldn't help but reflect on how… intimate… the conversation had been, holding each other's hands as though fearing that if they didn't, they would be lost to each other forever.

She stared at the spot where he had been only minutes before, the room already glaringly empty without him. She wondered if he too was lying on the sofa, unable to sleep, regretting his decision to leave her side… _of course he isn't. _

Chloe forced herself to stop thinking, aware that she would only succeed in upsetting herself further. He was downstairs, and that should be enough. He had come to her when she'd called. He'd listened without judging her. She shouldn't expect anything more.

…

Chloe had only just managed to drift off again when she became aware of a presence hovering outside her door. The figure was carrying what looked like a pillow and quilt, remarkably like the ones Jack was using downstairs on the sofa…

"This is ridiculous."

She reached for the bedside lamp and switched it on, shielding her eyes from the glare. Jack too blinked, but remained where he was, the bedding gathered almost protectively in his arms.

"What is?" she murmured tiredly.

"This. You're up here. I'm downstairs. Neither of us can sleep."

Chloe felt her pulse quicken. "What do you suggest?" she whispered, echoing the words he had spoken to her earlier in the evening.

Jack dropped his load to the floor, suddenly uncertain that he had made the right move. She'd been asleep; he'd disturbed her. And for what? All because he couldn't sleep without knowing what it felt like to hold her in his arms?

"I think we should be together… I mean, at least be in the same room," he stuttered.

"Jack. I am not letting you sleep on my bedroom floor." Chloe watched as he laid the quilt out flat on the carpet at the foot of her bed. She badly wanted him near her, could feel a lump forming in her throat at his obvious display of protectiveness.

"We both know I'm going to anyway," he retorted, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Yes."

He headed towards the door. "Can I…?"

Chloe nodded.

He pushed the door completely closed, blotting out the darkness from the hallway beyond, until all that was left was the two of them. They faced each other briefly before he pulled back the duvet and climbed into his makeshift bed.

Chloe turned off the lamp. "Are you sure you're alright there?" she asked worriedly.

"Much better than I was downstairs. It's warmer up here," he explained.

"Oh right."

She waited a few moments before settling back down, needing to convince herself that he wasn't going anywhere. She could hear him tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, and knew that even if her bedroom floor had been made of stone it wouldn't have deterred him.

Soon the only sound to be heard was Chloe's gentle, rhythmic breathing as she fell into what Jack hoped was a deep sleep. He lay motionless at the foot of her bed, the carpet digging into the bare skin of his arms and his jeans twisted in his efforts to get comfortable. Quietly, so as not to wake her, he slipped them off and folded them untidily next to his pillow.

"Jack?"

"I'm right here," he assured her.

He heard her pat the empty side of the bed. "Come here," she whispered.

Jack got unsteadily to his feet, certain that he had heard her wrong. He squinted through the dark and could just make out Chloe's hand still resting on the space beside her.

"A-are you sure?" Somehow his feet had guided him to the side of her bed, and he was looking down at her in a mixture of panic and trepidation.

"Yes." She moved her hand. "Can't have you sleeping on the floor," she murmured, aware that Jack was stood over her bed wearing only his t-shirt and boxers.

"Okay. But first let me just get something."

He grabbed the quilt up from the floor and held it awkwardly, before throwing it out over the bed. Slipping in between the sheets, he smoothed the covers down with shaking hands.

"Warm enough?"

"I am now," she replied, smiling tiredly. "Good night, Jack." She turned away from him and snuggled down into the bedclothes.

"You weren't asleep," he mused.

"Hmm?"

"Just now. I thought you were asleep."

"Not really. I couldn't sleep knowing that you-" Chloe's words were cut off as she felt Jack's hand slowly trailing up and down her arm, his body now inches from hers. A small gasp escaped her lips. "You're really here," she whispered, the tears threatening once more.

"I'm really here." He took a shaky breath. "Chloe… can I hold you?"

She turned slowly towards him, a lone tear sliding down her cheek. Needing both to hold and to be held, Chloe curled herself into his waiting arms.


	9. Chapter 8

_**One Night- Chapter Eight**_

It was the loud silence that eventually woke Jack.

Unwilling to open his eyes, he pulled the quilt tighter around him and reached out towards Chloe, needing just a few more precious minutes with her before reality came crashing down and snatched her away.

When his hand failed to make contact with anything but air, Jack grudgingly opened his eyes, squinting against the morning sunlight pouring in through the newly dried windows.

A hollow feeling began in the pit of his stomach, slowing spreading its way through his body as he struggled to register the scene before him.

The bed beside him was empty, the covers thrown back as though in haste, Chloe's pyjamas haphazardly strewn across the pillow. It seemed that in the cold light of day, Chloe had had second thoughts about inviting him into her bed. Asking to hold her, so that just for once his dreams would be less painful, had only served to make things worse. It had been a completely selfish question, succeeding only in scaring her further away.

Swallowing hard, Jack pushed back his own covers and swung his legs out of the bed, deciding that he had well and truly overstayed his welcome, not to mention pushed his luck. He had just grabbed his jeans from the floor when Chloe appeared in the doorway.

As their eyes met, Jack felt a lump forming in his throat. She was carrying a tray of food, just as she had the night before.

"I thought you might stay for breakfast," she offered shyly, walking into the room and placing the tray down on the desk. "I haven't made much but I thought you might be hungry seeing as you didn't eat last night."

Jack nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He was acutely aware of the fact that he was barely dressed, his jeans still crumpled in his arms. By contrast, Chloe was wearing a fresh t shirt and linen trousers, her damp hair tied back in a loose pony tail. She was seemingly unfazed by his dishevelled appearance, however, stepping past him towards the bed.

"You can have a shower… if you want," she continued, needing to say something to fill the chasm of silence between them.

"It doesn't matter, I'll be out of your way soon," Jack replied, watching as she smoothed the bedclothes down.

She hesitated, but quickly recovered, plumping each of the pillows in turn and folding her night clothes away under them. "Okay."

"But… a shower sounds good."

"Well, you know where everything is," she told him, refusing to look his way.

"Yeah, I do."

Finally Chloe turned round. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, about the night before, but her mind wasn't forming coherent sentences. There didn't seem to be any words to express what she felt. Something had changed between them, and it scared her.

Jack smiled sadly at her before turning and leaving the room, his head a jumbled clash of words and questions that had for so long remained unspoken but now so desperately needed to be said, if only he could find the courage.

…

He found Chloe downstairs in the hallway, unrolling the rug from underneath the front door and placing it back in its rightful position. She looked up as he approached, noting with relief that the tray in his arms was now empty of food.

"I found the clean, uh, clothes," he told her.

"Do they… I mean, are they okay?" Chloe felt herself blushing as she recalled hurriedly rummaging through her wardrobe for an old t shirt of Morris's that he'd left behind, as well as a clean pair of boxers. Somehow it didn't feel right, Jack wearing her ex-husband's underwear, considering how he was now probably wondering why the hell she still had them lying around in the first place.

"They're fine." Jack took the last few steps and joined her in the hallway. "I'll just rinse my dishes-"

"No, I'll do it." She took the tray out of his hands and began moving towards the kitchen, not waiting to see if he would follow behind.

The blinds were open, allowing the sun to filter in and warm the tiles beneath their feet. Jack perched on a chair, feeling decidedly useless as Chloe filled the sink with washing up liquid and resumed where she had left off the night before.

"Are you in work today?" he asked finally.

Chloe shook her head. "No. You?"

"Later."

"What time is the guy coming to look at the car?"

Her question threw him; he'd completely forgotten about his vehicle, ironic really considering that was the reason he was still there.

"He said about ten."

"Not long then."

"No."

"Will probably be better once you go anyway, I mean, you can't have enjoyed being cooped up all night with me," she babbled, glad that her back was to him so that he couldn't see the sheen of tears forming in her eyes. Angrily she wiped them away, leaving a trail of bubbles across her cheeks.

Jack took a shaky breath but didn't answer her.

Chloe forged ahead with the dishes, her vision becoming increasingly blurred as she fought not to break down in front of him. _Just ten minutes, _she told herself. _Just ten minutes and then the guy from the garage will be here, and Jack will be out of your house for good. Then you can cry._

From his vantage point, Jack froze as he saw Chloe's shoulders shaking. Forcing himself out of his stupor, he got unsteadily to his feet and made his way towards the sink, stopping inches behind her.

She felt his hands on her shoulders, working their way up and down her arms as they had done hours earlier.

"I'm sorry," he choked.

"Don't."

Jack took a step back, hurt. "Chloe, I-"

"Why did you come back?" She shut off the water and turned to face him, soap suds still coating the side of her face.

"When?"

"Last night. Why did you come back?"

Before Jack could process the question in his already confused mind, someone began pounding on the front door.

As though on auto-pilot, Chloe walked away from Jack and out into the hall. "Alright, alright," she muttered, wiping her eyes and checking the hall mirror for any lasting traces of soap. Once satisfied with her appearance, she wrenched the door open to see a tall, dark haired man peering at her from behind a pair of strikingly inappropriate sunglasses.

"Have I got the wrong house?" He unclipped a notebook from his top pocket and flicked through it. "You're not… Mr Bauer."

"Obviously not."

The guy coughed self-consciously. "Yes, well. Is he here?"

"And you are?"

"I'm from Don's Motors."

"Fine. I'll just get Jack for you." She put the door on the latch and disappeared back into the house, taking a few moments to lean against the wall for support. She knew this moment would arrive, that the mechanic would turn up and Jack would drive away… she just hadn't expected it to be so soon.

To her horror, Jack was just mere footsteps away from the front door, watching as she fought an ever losing battle to keep her emotions in check.

"The mechanic is here," she muttered, standing up straight and looking him in the eye.

Without a word, he walked towards her, a pained expression on his face. For a wild moment Chloe wondered if he had been crying; from where she was stood she could see a mist clouding his normally clear blue eyes. But she instantly dismissed this as a figment of her imagination, as Jack bypassed her completely and stepped out of the house.

She slipped into the lounge and watched from behind the net curtain as Jack and the mechanic leaned over the car, deep in conversation.

…

"What are you telling me?" Jack looked from the bonnet of the car to the dirty face of the other man and back again.

"There's nothing wrong with it. Nothing."

"But… but it wouldn't start!"

"I'm telling you, man, the engine is fine."

Jack risked a look over at the house, but the window was empty. Sighing, he pulled out his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

The guy waved his hand. "Forget it. I didn't do anything."

"Come on. I called you out."

"And I didn't do anything."

Too tired to argue, Jack put his money away. "Well, thanks anyway. I tried five times to get this thing started. Even had a look under the bonnet. I'm not an expert with cars and it was dark but…" He trailed off.

The mechanic gave him a sympathetic look. "Relax, man. Just be thankful it didn't cost you. Visiting the girlfriend, were you?"

Jack felt his hackles rise. "Excuse me?"

"N-nothing… so, I'll be going then." He dropped the lid of the bonnet back down and picked up his bag of tools.

"You do that."

Jack waited until the younger man had gotten into his truck and driven away, the sun glinting off the vehicle's metallic finish. He then turned his attention back to his own car, walking round to the driver's side and turning the key, just to convince himself.

It started first time.

…

Chloe left the door on the latch for him, but was surprised to hear it close only ten minutes later. She followed the sound of Jack's footsteps into the lounge, where she found him staring blankly at the sofa.

"There was nothing wrong with it," he told her quietly.

"But-"

"I know." He looked up at her. "I just tried it. It started first time."

"But how?"

Jack rubbed at his temples. "I don't know, Chloe. I just don't know." There was no anger, no annoyance in his voice. Just sheer defeat.

"Well, I guess that's something," she offered.

He laughed bitterly. "Yeah."

"Jack, before you go… I… I didn't mean to get mad at you."

"You have every right to be mad at me."

"Well I'm not. Just so you know."

Jack smiled. "I'm not going to convince you, am I?"

"No."

He moved away from the sofa, car keys in hand. "I guess I better… I mean…"

She nodded. "Mr Buchanan will wonder where you are."

Any other time, it would have been easy to part ways, even those times when neither was sure they would ever see the other again. But now, Chloe's legs were rooted to the spot, tears once again threatening. Jack couldn't take his eyes off her, a long forgotten emotion burning inside him with renewed energy, something he'd feared he would never again feel.

"Thank you, Chloe. For letting me stay."

She shrugged as though it meant nothing to her. "It's alright."

"Okay, so I'm going. I'll see you in work, right?"

"Right."

They stepped out into the hall, Chloe standing in the door way while Jack jogged across the road to the car, neither of them verbally acknowledging his departure. He paused before unlocking the driver's door, looking up one last time at the house.

…

Chloe closed the door, unable to watch him drive away. She managed to get to the sofa before bursting into tears, curling up into a ball and clutching a cushion to her chest. If she shut her eyes tight enough, she could still feel his arms around her…

"Go away," she whispered, as the front door once again came under attack.

"Chloe?"

The sound of his voice calling her name sent a jolt through her body, her senses screaming at her to go to him.

"Jack?" Chloe wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened her hair, her heart pounding and hands shaking as she let the door off the latch.

He stepped silently back into the hall, ignoring the door as it slammed shut behind him.

"Please tell me you felt it too," he whispered.

Biting her bottom lip, Chloe nodded slowly, watching the relief flood across his face.

"I couldn't walk away from you. I've done it too many times. You've seen me do it too many times…"

"I know. But you always come back."

"You don't know that I will! Neither of us do!"

"I trust you," she said simply.

It was what he needed to hear. In one movement he closed the gap between them and lifted Chloe off her feet, pushing her up against the wall and kissing her desperately. She responded to him immediately, sobs escaping her lips as she felt his urgency match her own.

Jack pulled away suddenly, although he didn't relinquish his hold on her. "You deserve someone who can be here for you," he said quietly, resting his forehead against hers.

"I don't want anybody else. They're not you," Chloe retorted.

"I will always come back to you."

"I know that."

"I need you, Chloe. I want you. I… damn it, I love you."

The passion in his voice stole the breath from her throat. She gasped, feeling tears leak from the corners of her eyes to collect on his cheek.

"I love you too, Jack. I always have."

He frowned. "Then I hope I'm not too late."

"No." She placed a small kiss on his forehead. "I want to wake up every morning in your arms."

"So… shall I drop by here after work? Say around nine?"

"Sounds good to me."

He reluctantly placed her back down on the ground and uncoiled his arms from around her waist.

"Oh, and Jack? I don't have a spare room." Chloe bit her lip and looked coy.

"Oh, really?" He paused halfway to the door and turned back, a grin on his face. "I think we'll be able to come to an arrangement."


End file.
